Russia and Ukraine are locked in an escalating battle, with a deadly exchange of attacks reported on Monday as the war enters its fifth year. Local authorities claim over 17 people have died in the renewed violence, including nine in Russia and three in Ukraine. Both countries continue to carry out strikes, raising tensions and deepening the conflict.
In the Russian region of Krasnodar, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported six deaths and 40 injuries in the Black Sea city of Gelendzhik following a drone strike attributed to Ukraine. Debris from the attack caused widespread damage and heightened fears over the use of long-range weapons. At the same time, Sergei Aksyonov, the governor of occupied Crimea, stated that three more people were killed in an overnight attack, though no further details were given. A separate drone strike hit a crowded beach in the Krasnodar region's southern Russia, killing seven people, according to local Russian officials. Verified social media footage shows a drone hitting the beach and exploding.
On the Ukrainian side, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha revealed that a Russian strike hit a gas station in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing three. The attack sparked a fire that damaged the facility and surrounding vehicles. This area has endured multiple strikes over the course of the war, reflecting the ongoing targeting of infrastructure and strategic locations. In the northeastern city of Sumy, Russian-guided aerial bombs killed two children and an elderly woman, according to regional head Oleg Grygorov. Six such bombs struck civilian infrastructure, including residential and non-residential buildings.
Ukraine also launched an attack on a warehouse operated by Wildberries, a Russian e-commerce giant, located in the village of Khryastovo in the Vladimir region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the company of aiding Russia's war effort by selling products with military applications. Ukrainian drones hit three warehouses in Russia overnight, including two operated by Wildberries. One such attack targeted a logistics facility in Krasny Bor, causing a fire, while another occurred in Emmaus, around 112 miles northwest of Moscow. Wildberries has long been criticized for potentially enabling Russia to bypass Western sanctions by importing goods through third-party countries.
Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine, reporting from Kyiv, explained that independent watchdogs have found that Wildberries offers so-called dual-use items. These include used military helmets, personal protective gear, bulletproof vests, and fiber-optic cables used in drone technology. These findings have fueled criticism of the company's potential role in supplying Russia with war-related goods. Wildberries is a popular online retail platform in Russia, often compared to Amazon, and accounts for up to 10 percent of the country's retail turnover, according to Russian media.
Zelenskyy recently met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House and described the encounter as positive. The Ukrainian leader is urging the United States to increase support for Ukraine, especially in improving air defense systems. During a separate call with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, this issue was also discussed. Kyiv's air force reported that Russia launched 136 drones at Ukraine overnight, with 117 intercepted or shot down.
However, Trump has reportedly shifted his stance on granting Ukraine the right to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles. This change could complicate Ukraine’s ability to acquire advanced weaponry for its air defenses, which has been a key demand from Kyiv as the war continues. The United Nations has reported an uptick in civilian deaths in 2026 as the four-and-a-half-year war shows no signs of slowing down. A Ukrainian drone strike in the Moscow region killed five people and injured 10, according to regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov. This attack was one of three overnight strikes on warehouses in Russia. Another drone attack targeted a Wildberries warehouse in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow. Wildberries confirmed that a blaze broke out at another warehouse near St Petersburg after it was attacked. The company banned smartphones on Monday to prevent employees from sharing images or footage that could be analyzed by Ukrainian authorities to better bypass Russian air defenses near Wildberries’ warehouses. Employees can now only carry phones without cameras. The Syzran Oil Refinery in Russia’s Samara region was also attacked, triggering a fire. In Ukraine, at least three people, including two children, were killed in Russian strikes on the northern city of Sumy. An elderly woman was also killed in an overnight attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea. Separately, Russia’s state-run news agency RIA reported that Russian forces struck seven cargo vessels in the city’s port. Three people were seriously injured in a drone attack on a Turkish cargo ship in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. All 22 crew members were evacuated following the incident, which was reported by Turkey’s maritime authority late on Monday. Turkey has since called on both Moscow and Kyiv to ensure safe passage in the Black Sea, saying it was seriously concerned about the targeting of civilians in the area despite its warnings. In the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, one soldier was arrested after allegedly going on a rampage, killing a colleague and three civilians, according to Moscow-installed Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev. 'All circumstances and causes of the incident are being established,' he added.
Russian attacks on Ukraine killed seven people and injured at least 123 over the past day, regional authorities said on Aug. 4, as Russia launched two aerial guided bombs (KABs) on central Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast. The morning KAB attack wounded 24 people as of 3:45 p.m., according to Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin. He said that the attack damaged six high-rise buildings, two educational institutions, a bank, a post office, four retail establishments, and eight passenger cars. Over the past day in Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed two people and wounded 32 others, according to the governor. The Air Force said that Russian troops launched 136 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which 117 were shot down in the east, south, and north of the country. In central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, three people were killed, and 13 others were injured over the past day, according to the regional authorities. Most of the casualties came from the Russian attack on a gas station near Kryvyi Rih, in which three people, including a rescue worker and his eight-year-old son, were killed, and 11 others were injured, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Aug. 4. In southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, 12 people were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said. In southern Odesa Oblast, a Russian missile strike near Odesa injured three men, aged 42, 45, and 81, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. In northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, nine people were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. In northern Chernihiv Oblast, Russia launched a "massive" drone attack on Chernihiv, Pryluky, and Novhorod-Siverskyi, injuring a person, according to regional governor Viacheslav Chaus. In northeastern Sumy Oblast, 10 people were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, the regional military administration said. In southern Kherson Oblast, two people were killed and 19 people were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.